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'The best books, reviewed with insight and charm, but without compromise.' - author Jackie French

Friday, 24 February 2017

Review: Croc and Bird

Two eggs hatch, side by side. One is a bird and the other a crocodile, but sharing the moment they come into the world, makes them brothers.

Encompassing great warmth and exquisitely gentle humour, Croc and Bird is a book that will call to the hearts of readers, both young and old.
They don't have have parents to guide them, but they have their instincts and each other, and it is this unusual combination that leads to some wonderfully innocent and purely intuitive actions.

When they hatch, Crocodile declares that he is hungry. Bird says 'Open your mouth as wide as you can and food will come', but there are no parents, so not matter how long they wait, food does not come. It is actually almost heartbreaking to see the babies wilt as they wait, but fortunately Crocodile has different instincts to Bird and he is able to find (and chew) food for them both.

And it is in this manner that they carry on, responding to the world around them and readjusting their primal instincts to accommodate both their needs. Until one day, the happen across 'a lake full of crocodiles by a forest full of birds' and realise just how silly they've been. They are not brothers after all.

The illustrations beautifully capture the innocence of these two infants as they try to make sense of the world, as they grow and share their conflicting natural instincts, and finally as they answer the call in their hearts for their 'brother'. Reading this book is like being hugged by your best friend, a firm and warm embrace from the family that you choose. Just beautiful.